


Family of Four

by nagi_schwarz



Series: Prompt Fills 2018 [38]
Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Fluff, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-03
Updated: 2018-07-03
Packaged: 2019-06-01 20:14:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,388
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15150977
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nagi_schwarz/pseuds/nagi_schwarz
Summary: Written for the high fashion comment_fic prompt: "Stargate Atlantis, Team Sheppard (OT4 or not), taking Teyla and Ronon shopping at a high end department store."





	Family of Four

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SherlockianSyndromes](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SherlockianSyndromes/gifts).



“So, it’s been a while since I’ve been here,” John said, “but as I understand it, if you want nice clothes, this is the place to go.”

Rodney peered out the window as the cab rolled to a stop. “Saks Fifth Avenue? Really?”

“Like I said, it’s been a while,” John protested. “I only ever came with my mom.”

His mother had died when he was fourteen. Teyla put a hand over his, squeezed gently. John flashed her a grateful smile.

“For years I always wore uniforms or whatever I could find at places close to base,” John said, “but since we’re going to a very important ceremony, I thought everyone would want to look nice. So I did the thing and I called ahead and Lorne said he’d meet us there.”

“Lorne?” Ronon asked.

“He’s good at colors, okay? He’s a painter.” John was blushing.

Ronon squeezed his shoulder. “Not judging. Just curious.”

Lorne was one of the few people in Atlantis who knew about the four of them, who didn’t judge and who kept their secret. He was also a talented painter.

“Barney’s has better clothes for men, or so Dave says,” John said. “But I figured we’d start here, for Teyla. Ladies first.” 

He leaned forward between the front seats to pay the cab driver, and Rodney slid out of the cab, offered Teyla a hand.

He offered Ronon a hand as well, likely out of habit, paused, but Ronon accepted his hand, smiled at him. For whatever reason, Rodney was the most insecure in their relationship even though vocally he was the most arrogant.

Ronon knew their arrangement was uncommon on Earth, not just in Pegasus, and they would have to be circumspect with each other. But they were also far, far away from the spying eyes of the SGC, and no one knew who they were.

John was the last to climb out of the cab, and then the four of them paused, stared at the glass storefront full of mannequins in clothes that Ronon could tell were expensive.

“You used to shop here with your mom?” Rodney asked.

“Someone had to carry the bags,” John said. He started for the door, reached for the handle, but it swung open before he could touch it, and a young woman in a fancy suit that kind of reminded Ronon of the dress blues that female military officers wore smiled at him.

“Good morning, Mr. Sheppard. So lovely to see you again after so long.”

“Chances are she wasn’t even born the last time John came here,” Rodney muttered.

John looked a little startled. “Ah - thanks.”

The woman beckoned them in. Ronon had been to plenty of markets for trading on alien planets, had seen shops in movies, so he thought he was prepared for the shopping experience (no bartering), but this was different. The woman showed them in to the back of the store to some comfortable seats, offered them snacks and drinks.

Rodney asked for water and some snacks, because he ate when he was nervous.

Lorne was already waiting for them. He looked about as comfortable as Ronon felt.

“Sir,” he said in a low voice, “when you said you needed help picking out some outfits for the medal ceremony -”

“I wear black. And gray. All the time,” John said in a low voice. “And I want us all to look - good.”

“You’ll be in uniform. You always look good.”

John raised his eyebrows.

Lorne rolled his eyes. “I’m not blind or dead. I know  _ I _ look good in my uniform too. But this feels very - Pretty Woman.”

“I should make Teyla hit you with her sticks,” John said.

“But Teyla is a pretty woman,” Ronon said.

John sighed. “Never mind.”

The young woman who’d welcomed them in returned with some snacks and a glass of water for Rodney, and then she addressed John. “Mr. Sheppard, how can we assist you today?”

“Teyla here is going to be attending a dinner at the White House, and she needs a dress,” John said.

The young woman smiled at Teyla. “Of course. I spoke to Mr. Lorne ahead of time, and he indicated that you’re a winter.”

Teyla looked confused, and Ronon was confused too. But then Teyla smiled and nodded.

“I trust Major Lorne’s judgment.”

“Excellent. Let’s get started. You can look at some dresses and if any of them strike your fancy, you can try them on yourself.” The young woman rang a small silver bell, and Ronon continued to be confused.

Wasn’t this the part where Teyla got to look at the dresses hanging up on the racks?

Only a woman stepped out of the back, wearing a sleek ice-blue evening gown. She was the same height and build as Teyla, even had similar-colored skin and hair.

Rodney said, “Wow.” Then he turned to John. “You used to shop like this?”

Teyla said, “Have you never shopped like this?”

Rodney snorted. “No. Shopping like this is only for the rich and famous.”

Ronon nudged him. “I told you his house was huge the one time we visited. You didn’t believe me.”

John was blushing. “Do you like the dress, Teyla?” 

“It is nice,” she offered, hesitant.

Lorne cleared his throat. “How about we see a few more, and you pick your three favorites, and we go from there?”

The young woman nodded, and Ronon stared as a parade of other young women, all who looked like Teyla, submitted to inspection in various dresses - pale blue, dark blue, black, white. Some had full skirts, others were skintight (which would be impractical in the event of an emergency), some had a long slit up the thigh like Teyla’s fighting skirt (which Ronon really liked). They had different sleeves or no sleeves, different necklines. Some were jeweled, some were lacy. Some had portions cut out that showed off skin.

Teyla looked overwhelmed. She turned to the rest of her team. “I do not know enough about Earth fashion,” she said in a low voice. “Each of you choose one you like, and I will select from there. Or maybe Lorne should make the final choice.”

“That’s not a bad plan,” Rodney said. He said, louder, “The dark blue one, with the heart neckline.”

“You know your necklines,” Lorne said, amused.

Rodney blushed but said, “Shut up.”

“The black one,” John said. “With the off-the-shoulder sleeves.”

Ronon said, “I like the white one with the lace, but that looks too much like a wedding dress, right?”

John had gotten very wistful, once, when Lorne talked about a wedding he participated in as a child, in the village where he had been raised, three men and two women who all wed each other. There had been dresses and flowers and food, wine and celebration.

“You could get two dresses, right?” Lorne said to John. “One for the dinner and maybe another for a special occasion.”

Ronon said, “I like that light blue one with the sparkly things.”

“Diamonds,” Lorne said in a low voice. “Those are called diamonds.”

The young woman sent away the other models, and Ronon studied the three remaining ones.

“Try them all on,” John said, “and we can see what they look like on you.”

Teyla nodded and rose, followed the young woman into the back. Another young woman came and offered them more snacks and drinks, and this time Ronon said he wanted hot chocolate.

“Make sure the water is non-citrus,” Ronon said after Rodney asked for a refill, before the young woman went away.

She nodded and smiled and then went away to fetch the drinks.

As soon as she was gone, Rodney turned to John. “How rich  _ did _ you grow up? I mean, you said you started skiing and playing golf when you were six, but back then skiing was cheap. Did you have a pony when you were kid?”

“There were horses at the very large house we visited,” Ronon offered.

“My father had a lot of money,” John said, “and my mother left me a lot of money. I never did anything with it, so - it’s been gathering interest. All this time. Since I was sixteen. A few outfits won’t put a dent in the account.”

“Why did you walk away from...this?” Rodney gestured to their luxurious surroundings.

“Because it wasn’t what I wanted.”

“What could you possibly want that would be better than -”

John covered Rodney’s hand with his, and Rodney fell silent.

“You ever flown an F-16?” Lorne asked. “It’s pretty awesome. I gave up a lifetime of veganism and free love to fly an F-16.” He munched on a cracker spread with fancy cheese.

“Way to kill the moment,” Rodney said.

“Just saying - we chose to be what we are. Wouldn’t have made it this far if we didn’t love it,” Lorne said, and cast Rodney a significant look.

“Oh. Right.”

Teyla returned, wearing the black dress. She looked hesitant - but beautiful. Ronon wanted to pin her down, run his hands all over the soft-looking fabric, and make love to her.

Ronon whistled, because that was what men did on Earth, right? When they liked how a woman looked. 

John swallowed hard. “That - wow. Uh, wow.”

“Wait,” Rodney said. “Let’s see the others first.”

Teyla turned slowly in place. “You like it?”

“You look amazing,” Rodney said.

Teyla looked pleased. 

“But, to be thorough, you should model the other ones for us,” Lorne said.

Teyla nodded and disappeared into the back with the young woman who was acting as their clothes buying guide.

“The terrible thing about these dresses is how expensive they are,” Rodney said, “because when you want to rip one off of someone with just your teeth -”

John shifted in his chair. “Now’s not the time, Rodney.”

“The dressing rooms are pretty big, right?” Rodney said.

Ronon glanced at Lorne, but he didn’t look embarrassed, just amused. Then he leaned in and whispered something to John, and John considered for a moment, then nodded.

Teyla looked equally beautiful in the other two dresses, and John, Rodney, and Ronon couldn’t decide. In the end, after much discussion, they agreed that Teyla looked best in the dark blue one.

It was Lorne who said, to the young woman, “There are a couple of things I’d like to look at, if I may? She’s going to need some accessories, and we’re starting from scratch.”

The young woman nodded and led Lorne into the back with Teyla. A few minutes later, they returned, and Teyla was still in the dark blue dress, only she was also wearing diamonds at her ears and throat and wrists. She was also carrying a small dark blue wallet-thing, like Ronon had seen women in fancy dresses carry in movies.

“This purse is very small,” Teyla said. “It will not fit -” Weapons and other useful things.

“It’ll hold your makeup,” Lorne said.

“Makeup? But I -?”

“I will do your makeup,” Lorne said. “It’s fine. We can do a practice run a couple of days before so you can see what you like.”

“Why do you know how to do makeup?” John asked. “I thought you were a painter.”

“I can paint a face,” Lorne said.

John considered. “Fair enough.”

“How do you like the jewelry?” Lorne asked Rodney and Ronon. “Is it too gaudy or ostentatious?”

“It’s very shiny,” Ronon offered.

“It is kind of - heavy,” Rodney said.

Lorne turned to the young woman. “How about something from the Elliot Alvarez collection?”

She nodded and ducked away.

“You know jewelry collections?” Rodney asked.

“I’m friends with artists who make jewelry,” Lorne said. He helped Teyla unfasten her necklace and remove her earrings.

John raised his eyebrows. “You’re friends with artists who sell jewelry here?”

Lorne smiled. “Connections are, in some ways, worth more than gold. Or diamonds.”

The young woman returned with a velvet-lined box full of what looked like silver lace and more tiny diamonds. Lorne had done something with Teyla’s hair, piled it high on her head, and it was conveniently out of the way when he went to fasten the new necklace on.

Teyla looked beautiful. The lace was perfect, bright against her dark skin.

“I like that,” Ronon said.

John nodded. “Me too.”

It was Teyla who said, “Do you have anything that looks like flowers?”

The young woman smiled. “Yes. Come this way.”

Ronon thought of the first time he’d made a flower crown for one of them, sort of as a joke, but then it had turned into something else. A sign of affection, a declaration to - well, the universe, if no one else - of his loyalty to them.

There were some final accessories - Teyla needed special shoes for the dress - and then they were officially finished.

Eventually Teyla returned, her hair and clothes back to normal. The young woman presented Lorne with three bags, two large and one small, all of them stuffed with fluffy paper. 

“Is there anything else we can do for you, Mr. Sheppard?” she asked.

“No, thank you,” John said, very gracious and completely unsarcastic, unlike anything Ronon had ever seen in him before. “You’ve been very helpful.” 

He reached into his pocket, drew out a silver clip with green paper money folded into it, and handed the woman a single green piece of paper.

Rodney made a choked noise but John just smiled at the young woman and said, “Put it all on the account.”

“Of course,” the young woman said.

Someone else scurried to open the door for Lorne, and then they were out on the street while John hailed a cab.

“John,” Teyla said in a small voice. “Don’t we have to pay?”

“When you’re as rich as John is, you don’t pay with cash,” Rodney said. “They’ll get their money. Believe me.” 

“But John gave her paper money,”  Ronon said.

“John gave her a hundred bucks just for a tip for helping us out.”   Then to John Rodney said, “You have an  _ account _ there?”

“My mom had one. I inherited it too,” John said.

Two cabs pulled over, and they piled in, John and his team in one, Lorne and the shopping bags in the other.

The next shop, called Barney’s, seemed to be exclusively dedicated to men’s suits. The treatment there was the same - someone welcoming them into a luxurious space, offering them drinks and snacks.

Ronon learned that he was a ‘spring’, whatever that meant, and then a parade of men approximately in Ronon’s size modeled suits and shirts and ties.

After the same process as before - each of the other three team members making a selection, then a vote - they settled on a gray suit and gray shirt with a kind of pink thing in the pocket of the jacket. Ronon liked how it felt when he moved in it - he could respond quickly in an emergency. The others all agreed he looked good in it. The next question was accessories for him - belt, socks, shoes.

“What about weapons?” Ronon asked.

The man helping him with his fancy shoes looked alarmed.

“Not at the White House,” John said.

Lorne cleared his throat. “While we’re here, sir, why don’t you and Rodney try on some suits? See what you look good in. Since you have the money.”

The man who was acting as their guide looked alarmed, but Lorne said, “Colonel Sheppard is a summer and Dr. McKay is a fall.”

“Lorne,” John said, but Lorne fixed him with a look, and then he nodded, stood. “Yeah. Let’s see what you’ve got. I’m a summer, apparently. Whatever that means.”

The guide nodded.

“In fact,” Lorne said, “since you’re a team, you should look for something that all three of you will look good in.”

The guide frowned. “That could be complicated.”

“But it can be done. They can have different-colored shirts and accessories,” Lorne said.

The guide considered. “All right. All three of you, come with me.” And he led them into the back, to where suits were all on racks.

“It’s too bad you have to get things off the rack,” Lorne said. “You have the wherewithal for something bespoke, but we don’t have the time.”

“Unfortunately,” John said, but he didn’t sound disappointed at all.

Between Lorne and the guide - and with some of Rodney’s fussing, since Ronon and John didn’t really care too much - they managed to find a type of suit that all three of them could wear, though they had different shirts and ties (Ronon hated ties).

The three of them stood side by side, staring at themselves in the mirror.

“What do you think?” Lorne asked.

Rodney said, “It’s perfect.”

Usually John had a snarky comment at this moment, like,  _ Really? Perfect? Who are you and what have you done with Rodney McKay? _ But this time he nodded, expression solemn.

“Ronon?” Lorne asked.

He said, “We look like a team.”

“Good. Sir?” 

John nodded to their guide. “We’ll take these as well.”

Poor Lorne was laden down with a mountain of boxes and bags after John went through the strange not-actually-paying ritual, so Ronon took pity on him, rode with him in the cab back to the hotel.

They spent the next few days seeing the sights - the Brooklyn Bridge, the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty and the Staten Island Ferry, and some plays on Broadway, which Ronon enjoyed (and which made him miss Satedan theater fiercely).

And then they flew to Washington DC to prepare for the big fancy dinner. Ronon had lost track of the boxes and bags, though he was pretty sure Lorne had them. Lorne took Teyla on an outing by herself - it was terribly patronizing that Ronon was anxious at her going out and about without the rest of her team, because Teyla was a capable warrior and so was Lorne - and when they came back, her hair looked - different. Softer. Shiny and glossy.

Lorne and Teyla holed themselves up in Teyla’s hotel room - she had one of her own; John was sharing with Rodney and Ronon was sharing with Lorne - for hours.

“He’s probably doing her makeup,” John said.

Ronon had gone to his and Rodney’s room. John was playing video games. Rodney was reading. Ronon was trying to figure out how the video game worked and what its purpose was. It was kind of like a movie, except John controlled parts of it.

The phone rang, and Rodney pounced on it. “Hello? What? Why? And - how? We don’t even have -”

There was a knock at the door.

Ronon went to answer it. It was a hotel employee, laden down with some of the shopping boxes Ronon thought he’d lost track of.

“Thanks,” Ronon said.

The hotel employee looked at him expectantly.

John smiled, handed the man a slip of green money paper, and helped Ronon carry the boxes into the room, set them on one corner of his bed.

Rodney hung up the phone. “Lorne says we’re supposed to put on those suits and go downstairs to the conference room.”

“We should shower and clean up first,” John said.

Ronon nodded.

They took turns, showering and shaving and brushing their teeth, combing their hair. Then they dressed in the suits. John had to help both Rodney and Ronon with their ties.

Ronon liked how the three of them looked together. No one had ever tried very hard to make him wear the Atlantis uniform, and no one was under any illusion that when Teyla deigned to wear pieces of the uniform, it was her own choice and no one else’s.

“You’re right,” Rodney said to Ronon. “We look like a team.”

Because they weren’t out in public, Ronon said what he’d really wanted to say. “We look like family.”

John reached out, squeezed his shoulder. “Yeah.” He looked at Rodney, then Ronon, cleared his throat. “We’d better go.”

They headed for the elevator, and then they realized that they didn’t know where the conference room was, so they headed down to the concierge desk to ask, and were informed that Major Lorne was waiting for them in one of the small ballrooms on the second floor.

“I thought you said he said conference room,” John said.

“Sometimes ballrooms are used as conference rooms,” Rodney said.

The elevator doors opened, and they stepped out onto the second floor, which looked mostly deserted. They walked down the hallway, checking the signs beside the doors until they found the appropriate room.

Ronon went first even though they weren’t off-world. He was very confused when he found not Major Lorne but Dr. Peace, who was one of the botanists on the expedition. She was wearing a simple pale green dress, was smiling.

“Doc?” John asked. “What are you doing here?”

She beckoned them forward. “Come. Stand over here.”

They obeyed, wary. She fussed with them a bit, arranged them, then rearranged them. 

“Savannah,” Rodney said, “what’s going on?”

That Rodney knew her first name said something impressive about her.

“They’re almost ready,” someone else said, and Ronon turned.

It was Dr. Bruno, a linguist. She was also wearing a simple dress.

“Why are you here?” John asked.

She smiled and sidled toward them. “You need witnesses, right?”

“Witnesses for what?” Ronon asked, immediately suspicious.

Music filled the air, soft and lilting. And then the door opened, and there was Teyla, in that white dress with the lace, the one from the store, the one that Ronon knew looked like an Earth wedding dress.

Lorne, wearing a nice suit, was leading her toward them. And she looked - beautiful. Jewels like flowers glittered at her ears, throat, and wrists, and she had a crown of jewel flowers in her hair.

Rodney’s eyes went wide. John’s expression was unreadable. He swallowed hard again.

“Lorne, what -?”

Dr. Peace said, “Who presents this woman to be married?”

“I do,” Lorne said.

Ronon had seen things like this in movies. This was an Earther wedding.

Lorne smiled at Teyla, patted her arm, and nudged her toward the rest of her team.

“Savannah,” Rodney said, “this - on Earth - it’s not -”

“Legal doesn’t matter,” Dr. Peace said. “But this is still binding where it counts. Shall we proceed?”

Ronon said, “Yes.”

The ceremony was kind of like the ones Ronon had seen in movies, but Dr. Peace had them all hold their hands out, and she wound a rope around their wrists and bound them together. She talked about binding their souls forever. Then she held out a fruit that Ronon knew was native to Athos, not Earth.

Teyla’s eyes went wide, but she accepted the fruit. Then she turned to the three of them. 

“I promise to share my life with you, to sustain you and protect you and nourish and nurture you. Let the fruit of our union be one.” And she took a delicate bite of the fruit, held it out to Rodney. 

He accepted it clumsily with his free hand. “I won’t remember any of that.”

Teyla smiled gently. “It’s all right. Just eat.”

Rodney took a tiny nibble of the fruit, then handed it to John, who took a bit of a bigger bite, then handed it to Ronon. 

Ronon ate a piece of the sweet, juicy fruit, and then Lorne, armed with a napkin, whisked it away from him. 

Teyla gazed at him, her eyes bright with emotion, though her expression was as calm as ever. 

Ronon supposed he should have expected it after the Athosian fruit, but when Dr. Peace held out a leather cord with a familiar pendant on it, the symbols of love and eternity intertwined, his breath caught in his throat. She handed it to him.

He accepted it and, with a deep breath, held it out to Rodney. “Wear this as a symbol of my forever love and devotion.”

Rodney nodded, leaned in, and Ronon slipped the cord over his head. Of course, Dr. Peace had three more, so Ronon gave them to Teyla and John with the same ritual words, and then John placed one on him.

“Now,” Dr. Peace said, “all of you are bound, heart and soul, body and mind, to each other. While legal authority may not recognize your union, the powers above, whatever you call them, do recognize it, and these two people witness it.” 

Lorne and Dr. Bruno smiled.

“Congratulations,” Dr. Peace said.

The four of them stared at each other for a long moment. This was it. It was done. They were one. Rodney moved first, leaned in and kissed John. Then he kissed Teyla and Ronon. Ronon kissed Teyla first, and when they were all done kissing each other, they were breathless and wanting.

Dr. Peace helped them slip out of the rope and then did something complicated so it was still tied into four knots. She handed the rope to John, and he thanked her.

“Congratulations,” Dr. Bruno said, beaming.

Lorne smiled. “Congratulations.”

“Thank you,” John said, clapping him on the shoulder.

Lorne nodded. “Of course. Go. Celebrate. Call me when you’re done. There’s cake. I will have pictures done later.”

Rodney nodded, still looking dazed.

The four of them thanked Dr. Peace and Dr. Bruno, and then they made a beeline for the elevators, headed for Teyla’s room. 

Ronon wrapped Teyla in his arms, kissed her deeply. Then he reached up, loosed her hair.

It was John to took the jewels off of her carefully while Rodney worked Ronon’s tie and jacket off of him.

Ronon caught Rodney by the tie, reeled him in for a kiss, just like he’d seen in the movies.

“Careful,” Rodney said. “These were expensive.”

“Who cares?” John leaned in, nuzzled Rodney’s throat from behind. “You’re all worth more.”

It was Teyla who grasped John’s wrist, led him to the bed, lowered him to it. Rodney and Ronon followed. Tonight, they would be one.

A couple of days later, at the fancy dinner at the White House, where all of them received important medals for helping save Earth, the President’s wife turned to Ronon.

“I noticed all of you wear matching necklaces. Is it a - an alien symbol? What does it mean - that you’re a team? Alien dog tags?”

Ronon reached up, curled his hand over his pendant. “It means that we’re family.”


End file.
